Gathering Storm

The sea takes on a deep, jewel-toned green in Gathering Storm, an 18 x 60 oil painting by Nancy Davidson displayed in Montecito, its curling surf luminous against a bluff gone dark with autumn color and an incoming sky heavy with charcoal cloud. Davidson's extended panoramic format lets the coastline unfurl in full — sand catching the day's last warm light even as the trees above blaze red and the weather closes in behind them. There's real tension in this one, beauty and threat sharing the same canvas, the kind of coastal moment locals know to watch closely before it turns.